The Way Aztec Subtly Impacts Your Life

I was watching one of my last class videos, when I discovered the root of the name for Ozomatli. It’s one of the Aztec day signs meaning ‘monkey’. Now, some of you may be familiar with the band and wonder what a multi ethnic, activist band that plays music ranging from salsa to funk is doing with a name that means ‘monkey’. Personally, I was wondering myself. Evidently the monkey was also the god of dance, fire, the new harvest, and music, which makes sense for a band name. Especially one that’s so integrally a ‘dance band’ that thrives on getting audience participation and involvement. I’m not sure if one of the group members is a Nahuatl speaker (one of the languages Aztec is ‘written in’), but it may be a bow to someone’s origins as well.

I decided to see if any other day signs had slipped into more mainstream use in America. Here’s my findings:

1 – Coatl (snake) – Also a band name, in this case of the metal/gothic/rock variety

2 – Tochtli (rabbit) – A two-player board game that combines aspects of Connect Four and Chinese Checkers

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[…] the odd fascination English has with foreign words. I’d already noted it here in regards to Aztec – today I found something from a more ancient culture. Though Egypt and Egyptology has fascinated […]